557 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	7th century BC – 6th century BC – 5th century BC
Decades:	580s BC  570s BC  560s BC  – 550s BC –  540s BC  530s BC  520s BC
Years:	560 BC 559 BC 558 BC – 557 BC – 556 BC 555 BC 554 BC

557 BC in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	557 BC
Ab urbe condita	197
Ancient Egypt era	XXVI dynasty, 108
- Pharaoh	Amasis II, 14
Ancient Greek era	55th Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4194
Bengali calendar	−1149
Berber calendar	394
Buddhist calendar	−12
Burmese calendar	−1194
Byzantine calendar	4952–4953
Chinese calendar	癸卯年 (Water Rabbit) 2140 or 2080     — to — 甲辰年 (Wood Dragon) 2141 or 2081
Coptic calendar	−840 – −839
Discordian calendar	610
Ethiopian calendar	−564 – −563
Hebrew calendar	3204–3205
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−500 – −499
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2545–2546
Holocene calendar	9444
Iranian calendar	1178 BP – 1177 BP
Islamic calendar	1214 BH – 1213 BH
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	1777
Minguo calendar	2468 before ROC 民前2468年
Thai solar calendar	−14 – −13

Events

• May 19: The Persians besieged Larissa, a.k.a. Calah, but could not capture it. However, when a solar eclipse occurred, the inhabitants left their city and it was taken.^[1]
• Mahavira (b. 599 BC) attained omniscience in this year.^[2]
• Labashi-Marduk was king of Babylon during this year. He succeeded Neriglissar, who reigned three years, and was followed by Nabodinus, the last king, who reigned 17 years.^[3]
• Santorini, Greece suffered from a volcanic eruption.^[4]

Births

• Siddharta Gautama, a.k.a. Buddha^[5] (Year of birth not precisely known)

References

1. Solar Eclipses and Ancient History. Jennings, S. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol.2, pg. 172
2. http://www.sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=1633
3. http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T636
4. http://www.crossroadsinn.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=53&lang=en
5. http://www.bartleby.com/45/3/1001.html